Pokeshipping Week 2015, Day 3 - Doing Crazy Things for Love

A/N: Okay, so I may have cheated a little bit with this one, considering I scenes that I've already posted from The Leaves of Change. However, for this to be able to stand as a one-shot, I had to put those scenes back in to make the story cohesive. I did make some minor changes/additions to parts of those scenes. Anyway, this ties in with TLOC, and is the story of how Ash got his Christmas gift for Misty.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

"Not another one," Ash sighed as tossed another Magikarp into the ocean. "What am I going to do Pikachu? Our last day on the island is today, and I'm running out of time."

"Pika pi pi Pikachu."

"I can't just buy her something. It has to be special."

It was late October and Ash had been spending a few weeks in the Sevii Islands with Misty and Brock. The main reason for their stay was to give Misty a break from the press, but Ash had gotten some other ideas while on the island. Even though it was two months away, he planned on getting Misty her Christmas gift on this trip. He had spent all morning and afternoon fishing for a water Pokemon.

It had to be something special, definitely a Pokemon that she didn't already have. Unfortunately, Ash had caught nothing, but Magikarps. Seeing as she already had a Gyarados, it was pointless to give her one of those. Even though he thought them to be ugly, he would have been happy to see a Tentacool at that point. It was getting to be hopeless.

The sun was getting lower in the sky, getting ready to set for the night. Ash sighed, taking a peek at his cell phone. It was getting late, and he would soon have to turn back. He was meant to meet Brock and Misty before heading to the festival. He also needed time to change as well. He was about to give up and go back to the Pokemon Center when Pikachu started jumping up and down, shouting his name.

"What is it Pikachu?" Ash asked as he directed his attention toward the rocks below.

At first, he didn't see anything but the waves crashing up against the rocks. Upon further inspection, he discovered that there was a small Vaporeon struggling to climb onto a rock. He noticed that it had an injured foot. He sprung into action, not really thinking about it, clambering down to help it.

The sight of Ash barreling towards it frightened the young Pokemon. It leapt up off the rock and into the waters below. He and Pikachu watched it swim away, feeling disappointed. He wanted to rescue it and maybe even give it to Misty.

"Vaporeon!" Ash called out, hoping that it would appear. "I won't hurt you. I want to heal your leg. That's all."

"Pika pika!"

"Looking for this!" A cackling voice called. There was a puff of smoke. Ash and Pikachu began coughing as the noxious fumes entered their lungs.

"Those voices…"

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

Jessie and James had appeared in beach attire, holding a net with Vaporeon in it. The Pokemon struggled to get out, but failed. These guys needed to get a better hobby, Ash decided. They had no shame, stealing an injured Pokemon. The difference with Ash was that he was going to help it, and then asked if it wanted to come along and be Misty's companion.

"Give it back!" Ash demanded.

"How dare you interrupt the Team Rocket motto!" Jessie shouted before clearing her throat. "To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie."

"James."

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now or be prepared to fight."

"Meowth, that's right."

"Hand over the Vaporeon!" Ash demanded yet again, his temper starting to flare up.
"Why do you want it so badly?" James inquired. "It's not even yours."

"It must be to impress the twerpette, huh? You have a thing for her, don't you?" Jessie teased.

"Shut up," Ash growled, balling his hands into fists. He had had enough of their antics.

"Well we could do a trade with you," Jessie continued. "Vaporeon for your Pikachu."

"Forget that," Ash said. "Pikachu, go!"

Pikachu sprung into action, ready to launch an electric attack. Team Rocket laughed as James pulled out a second giant net. He caught Pikachu, surprising the mouse and his owner. Pikachu tried it's hardest to get out, but he became tangled. His cheeks sparked with electricity, and he tried to shock them, but the net must have been made with rubber.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted.

"Ta ta!" They said, waving their hands.

Team Rocket jumped behind some bushes, out of sight. In the next moment, the ground began to shake. Their giant Meowth balloon began to lift out of the brush and into the air. It took no time for them to escape. Ash ran after them, panicked, not knowing what to do. The last time he saw them was hardly a battle, and other than that, he hadn't picked up any of his pokeballs in months, ever since he had given up training.

Lucky for him, he had thought of bringing a flying Pokemon with him in case he needed to scout out some better fishing spots. Now he needed it more than ever. As he dashed after them, he managed to pull the pokeball out of his bag and threw it up in the air.

"Go Talonflame!"

The giant red bird erupted from its pokeball with a cry. Ash had to think fast or he would lose them. Vaporeon was one thing, but he couldn't lose Pikachu.

"Brave bird now! Pop a hole in that balloon!"

Talonflame zoomed across the sky in the direction of the balloon. Team Rocket did not notice the bird until it was too late. It zipped right through it, rupturing the canvas. The air quickly escaped and the balloon came crashing down in the distance. Ash called back Talonflame before racing to find the down balloon. He found them hanging from a nearby tree, the basket tipped slightly with Team Rocket inside. Pikachu and Vaporeon, however, were safely on the ground, released from their nets. Ash ran over and scooped up the water Pokemon in his arms. He gave Pikachu a knowing look to which is Pokemon nodded in response. Team Rocket saw and knew what was coming next.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

The yellow mouse's cheeks sparked until a bolt of electricity flew out and toward Team Rocket. The thieves yelled in pain before the explosion came. They, along with their balloon, were launched into the sky.

"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!"

Once they were out of sight, Ash set the Vaporeon down, which was trembling with fear. Pikachu tried to talk to it to calm it down while Ash rummaged in his bag for a potion. He managed to find one and sprayed it on the scrapes on the leg. It winced, but after a minute the abrasions healed. It still had trouble walking, leading Ash to suspect that the leg might be broken. It seemed timid, but not as afraid as it had been. He stroked its neck, and the Pokemon cried in delight.

"Hey Vaporeon, how about you come with me?" Ash offered, holding out an empty pokeball. "I can get you somewhere to help that leg, and I know a wonderful water Pokemon trainer who would love to be your friend. What do you say?"

"Vaporeon!" The water Pokemon said before bumping its nose against the center button. There was a ray of white light that surrounded it before filling the open ball. It closed and shook a few times before becoming still. Vaporeon was now Misty's, even though he technically caught it.

"Well that's that," Ash beemed.

"Pikachu!"

"Let's go meet up with Brock and Misty," he said, noticing the setting sun. It would be dark before they would return, meaning that they were already late.

"Pika!"

Ash sprinted with Pikachu on his shoulder, knowing that Misty was going to have his head for being late. His phone kept buzzing from inside his bag, and even though he knew that it might be Misty or Brock, answering it would be wasting time. The Pokemon Center came into sight, and he could have gone into the front, but looking at his attire, he knew that Misty would have his head for being late and not being ready as well. He circled around the building, opting to head around to the back. There was a window to the back open, and he let himself in to be greeted by a stern looking Nurse Joy.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well I—"

"Avoiding Misty? That's not very nice you know. She's been looking for you."

"I know, I know. I was going to run upstairs and change. I didn't want her to see me before that."

"Don't keep her waiting longer. She seems worried."

"I won't," he said, rummaging in his bag. He pulled out Vaporeon's pokeball and handed it to Nurse Joy.

"What's this?"

"It's a Vaporeon I found injured on the island. Take care of it for me," he said before rushing off.

The sky was dark, the stars twinkling above the Pokemon Center where Brock and Misty waited for their friend. As each minute passed, Misty grew more anxious, the knot she felt in her mid-section growing tighter. Ash said that he would be able to meet them in time for the festival. However, there they stood, past eight o'clock with the festival already started, and no Ash in sight. Panic was starting to set in. What if something bad had happened to him?

Brock was wearing a plain faded blue yukata, his arms crossed as his eyes moved back and forth between the clock and the doors at the front of the lobby. He was holding Misty's egg, which was given to her by the old couple running a Pokemon daycare on a nearby island, as she paced across the floor phone in hand. Her yukata was more elaborate than Brock's. It was blue as well, though hers was closer to cerulean. There were white bubbles in the pattern, along with pictures of orange and white koi. Her long flowing hair was secured in a clip, strands of hair in the front framing her face. Her fingers flew across the keypad, writing a frantic text message to Ash. After several agonizing moments of silence, she resorted to calling him. Several rings with no answer forced her to resort to leaving him a message.

"Ash, where are you?" she demanded into the receiver, after calling five times in a row. "Please, call me back when you get this. I'm getting worried."

"Misty," Brock said, cautiously.

"What?" she snapped at him.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation with Ash's voicemail, but do you think he was running late and figured that we would end up meeting him at the festival?"

"Then why wouldn't he call and tell us that?"

"Maybe his phone died."'

"It can't be dead," she said frantically. "If it were dead, then it would go straight to voicemail. It's still ringing when I call, meaning that he's unable to answer it. Brock, what if he's de—"

"Misty, don't think like that. I'm sure that he's fine. Why don't we go onto the festival and see if he's there."

"I don't know," she said, continuing to pace. "If you want to go on ahead, you can do so. I'll stay here and wait for him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, and if you do find him out there, tell him to at least call me."

"Sure," he said handing her the Pokemon egg, hoping that its presence would bring some comfort to her. "I'll catch you later. Good luck."

"Thanks."

Brock strolled out of the doors at an even pace, leaving Misty to fill the silence with the echoing of her wooden sandals against the tile floor. Panic was solidifying inside of her core. No matter what she did, nothing could qualm the tightening knot inside of her stomach. She tried once more to reach him on his phone. Again, she was greeted with painful silence. Where was he?

If something had happened to him, she could not forgive herself. She had made no protest of him going alone. She should have at least offered to go with him. What if what he was planning on doing was dangerous? Worse yet, what if he had been depressed over these past few weeks, and she had failed to notice? What if he had decided to do something drastic? She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown when she heard footsteps and a gruff voice behind her.

"Sorry, I'm late. I ran into some trouble on the way back."

Before her, standing between her and the front desk, was Ash, dressed in a forest green yukata, which was adorned with a pattern of white fir trees. Relief was the tsunami that flooded into her body at the sight of him and Pikachu. The electric mouse rested on his trainer's shoulder, his fur ruffled and slightly dirty, causing Misty to wonder what they were doing all day. Ash stood there, afraid to say more, the trace of a smile plaguing his lips.

"Where have you been?" Misty shrieked, tears forming in her eyes. Ash was so alarmed by her response that he took a few steps back, eventually reaching the reception desk. She flung her arms around him, afraid that he would disappear in front of her. He patted her back tentatively, unsure of what to do.

"I got side-tracked a few times. The important thing is that I am here now."

"What was so important that you were doing that you couldn't pick up your goddamn phone?" She had let go of him, her eyebrows furrowed, lip quivering. She balled her hands into fists, her body beginning to shake.

"I uh—"

What were you doing?" she yelled once more, this time getting in his face.

"I can't tell you right now," he said. He wanted to keep Vaporeon a secret, otherwise it would have ruined her Christmas gift.

"Listen, you," she said grabbing him by the collar with one of her hands. "I was worried sick about you. I tried texting and calling with no response. What am I supposed to think when you don't respond to me like that?"

Ash was aware that he should have been scared shitless then. Misty was the most intimidating person whom he had ever met. Yet in this moment, he found her to be stunning, making it difficult for Ash to be petrified by her. She had lost the power she had to scare him as soon as he realized how much he truly loved her. Instead of fear, the emotions that he was experiencing in that moment were guilt and sadness. He felt horrible about making her worry like that. He should have taken the time to answer the phone all those times he heard it from his bag. He had been too focused on getting back to consider anything else. At the same time, he couldn't reveal what he was doing, not unless he wanted to ruin the surprise he had for her. It was something that he had worked too hard on to destroy that now.

"I'm sorry, Mist," he said. "I should have answered your calls."

"Too right," Misty said, releasing her grip on his clothing. "Another thing, mister—huh?"

A violent shaking from the egg in her arms stopped Misty short. She stared in awe as it continued to move. A bright white light emanated from it and filled the lobby. She set the egg down on the floor, crouching down in front of it. The whiteness shifted from an egg shape into a star shape. The light dissipated, revealing the Cleffa behind it. It was bright pink with lime green ears, not the usual coloration. Misty thought that this made it even cuter. She picked up the Pokemon gleefully, her smile radiant.

"Oh, you're so adorable!" she squealed as she brought it closer to her chest.

"Cleffa!" the pink Pokemon exclaimed, happy to see Misty, too.

"Yeah, just like its owner," Ash piped in.

"Huh?" Misty said. Her cheeks grew pink when it dawned on her that Ash was saying that she was cute as well. "Don't think that you're going to butter me up to get on my good side again."

"But Misty, you're not a piece of bread. Why would I want to put butter on you?"

"It's an expression!" she growled, holding Cleffa with one arm, freeing her other hand in order to rest it on her hip. "I'm still mad at you."

"I bet you I can change that," he said, grabbing her hand. "I'll buy you an ice cream."

"With sprinkles?"

"Of course," he said. "Anything else?"

"How about a shopping spree?"

"Don't push it."

Misty's heart raced as they strolled out of the Pokemon Center, her hand firmly captured in his grip. A grin formed as they journeyed together to the festival grounds in the tepid night. As they ran to join Brock, Misty thought nostalgically about their first festival. They spent their time dancing and eating ice cream cones together while poking fun at Brock's romantic endeavors. Being with Ash like this made her fall in love with him all over again. As the two sat on a bench together, watching the fireworks, she knew that never wanted that night to end.

"I swear you get more adorable every day. Misty's going to love you," Ash said to Vaporeon as he set down its food.

It was about a month after the two had first met. Ash was back home in Pallet Town, trying to figure out what to do with his life next. He spent most of his days helping Professor Oak out at the lab because Tracey was often busy planning a wedding. Vaporeon took a few weeks to fully recover and get stronger. Now it was able to run and play with the other Pokemon. Ash was excited to see it doing well.

"I still can't believe that you got her a water Pokemon for Christmas—and a rare one for that matter," a female voice behind him chimed.

Ash looked up to see Daisy Oak hovering over him. He stood up, feeling embarrassed for some reason. He had thought that he was alone, considering Daisy was also planning a wedding. He was more apt to see Gary hanging about other than the two lovebirds. It still boggled his head that his friend Tracey was marrying Professor Oak's granddaughter in a month.

"Yeah, well I thought that I'd get her something she'd really love this year."

"So she can fall in love with you?"

"Huh?" Ash said, his face growing red. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh huh," Daisy teased. "It's pretty obvious to the rest of us you know. You should tell her already."

"Shouldn't you be busy planning a wedding or something?"

"All right. I'll leave you be…for now."

As Ash watched one of his oldest friends waltz away, he knew that she was right. He should confess his love for her. He was too afraid every time that he had tried. He watched Pikachu playing with Vaporeon and was confident that this might be the way to do it. He hoped that he was doing the right thing because being her friend was better than nothing at all, and he didn't want to ruin what he already had.

Ash arrived in the hotel's ballroom on Christmas night. They were staying in the Orange Islands for the holidays since the wedding was taking place on New Year's Eve. There was an enormous Christmas party being held for all of the guests in the hotel. Ash dressed in business casual clothes for the event, not quite sure how formal it was meant to be. He walked in, with Pikachu on his shoulder, relieved that his choice in clothes was appropriate. The ballroom was vast with plenty of space for dancing in the center. There were round tables on either side of the dance floor, adorned with white tablecloths, complete with red trim. As part of each centerpiece, there was a miniature Christmas tree on each table.

Ash peered around for Misty, but he could not locate her in the crowd. Figuring that she was not there yet, he made a beeline for the food table. His stomach grumbled as the aroma of all the food hit him like a tsunami. Ash had never seen a buffet like this one. There were three different salads, four different soups, all sorts of appetizers, and various kinds of bread, some that he had never seen. As he continued to the main entrees, he took a bite of unknown bread, delighted to discover that it was a slice of a gingerbread loaf, complemented with a lemon icing.

He gave his second slice of gingerbread loaf to Pikachu, who took it happily. His Pokemon chomped away greedily as Ash moved on to shoving as many things onto his plate as possible. He could not believe his eyes. There were four types of potatoes, sweet and white. There was stuffing, along with ham, roast pork, roast beef, chicken, and turkey. Ash saw the dessert table, but thought it best to finish his dinner before he stuffed himself silly with sweets.

He was a little nervous to see Misty. It would be the night that she would get her gift. He had seen her earlier that morning, and she had given him his Christmas gift—a brand new Pokegear. He was worried that Vaporeon would pale in comparison, as he didn't actually buy her anything. They had been together at the pool, and as it wasn't a planned meeting for Ash, he didn't have Vaporeon's pokeball on him. Misty had been a bit pouty, believing that he had never gotten a gift for her in the first place.

He found Brock chatting away with a young woman at a table not far from where he was. As he sat down, he noticed that the woman seemed annoyed by Brock. Pikachu hopped down from his shoulder and onto a chair next to Ash. She stormed off in a huff, causing Ash to pause from placing his food down. Brock was dejected from her reaction. Ash shook his head and put the plate on the table. Before sitting next to his friend, he clapped him on the back.

"Rough night with the ladies?" Ash asked, with a slight smirk on his face.

"You have no idea," replied Brock. He gulped down the rest of his beer. "Speaking of ladies, have you given Misty her present yet?"

"No," Ash said. "I've been waiting for the right moment."

"Don't wait for Christmas to be over!" Brock chuckled. "Besides wouldn't giving her a water Pokemon by the pool have been better? You don't think about these things, do you?"

"I didn't know that she was going to ambush me like that, especially after that fight we had last night! Anyway, I have it with me now, and that's all that matters," Ash said. "I don't know where she is though. Have you seen her?"

"No, man, I haven't."

"I'm sure she'll show up, eventually."

They spent their time eating dinner and searching for women that might interest Brock, an activity that went on pause when Delia came around to chat. Once Ash had finished his meal, he made his way to the dessert station with Pikachu.

There were various cakes—German chocolate cake, carrot, fruit, banana, vanilla, and black forest, to name a few. Ash saw a whole table of pies and tarts as well. There was one dessert that interested him at that time—and it was Christmas cookies.

He snatched a bunch in his hand and began munching away at them. There were not as good as his mother's, but they were delicious nonetheless. He was in the middle of shoving one in his mouth when he felt a tap on his shoulder. When he turned, his discovered Daisy Oak in front of him.

"Hey Ash," she said, giving him a warm embrace. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you, too," replied Ash. "Hey, have you seen Misty?"

"Yeah. She's out on the veranda over there," Daisy replied, pointing her finger to the right.

"Thanks," he said before heading in that direction.

He inhaled deeply as he moved outside. The warm breeze tickled his nose, but it did little to calm his nerves. He did not see anyone at first, but when he turned his head to the right, the red-haired beauty appeared before him.

She was leaving against the railing, her hair and green dress billowing in the breeze. Any oxygen that had been inside him escaped his body. There was a lump in his throat he swallowed back before approaching her. It was time to take the plunge—get it over with and give it to her—and pray that she didn't hate it.

"Hey, Misty," he said brightly.

"Oh, hi, Ash," she said, turning her head in his direction. She flipped her body around to face him. She was smiling, but he noticed sadness in her eyes. Ash offered her his last cookie, which was still in his hand. She took it, muttering her thanks. She bit the cookie, her mood lifting, though only slightly.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked.

"I guess," she said, sounding sad.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't want to bother you with my problems," she replied.

Ash looked her square in the eyes. "You'd never bother me. You can tell me anything."

"I was thinking about my parents," she confessed.

"Your parents?"

"Yes. You see, they were coming home from a party like this a few weeks before Christmas when they were killed by a drunk driver."

"Misty—" He didn't know what else to say. This was the first time that she had ever talked about it. He knew what it felt like to be missing out on things with a parent. He hadn't seen his father since he was a small child. But the pain of this must have been worse, he imagined. She lost her parents so suddenly, and she would never see them again. He wanted to pull her into a tight embrace and protect her from hurting ever again, but he wasn't sure if that would help or night.

"I'm fine," she said, her eyes watering. She took a step toward him and buried her face in his chest. "I miss them, that's all. Being at a Christmas party made me think about them."

Ash embraced her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Misty. I wish I could change things and make it better for you."

"Thanks," she said, breaking away from him. She brushed the tears away from her eyes.

"Here," he said, handing her a small box, tied with a blue ribbon. "Maybe this will make you feel a little better."

"Oh, so you did get me a present after all," she joked through broken sobs.

She removed the ribbon and opened the box. Inside of it was a pokeball. She removed it, slightly confused. She held onto it until Ash motioned for her to go on and use it. She threw the ball to the other side of the veranda. It opened up with a pop and a flash of light. In its place, Vaporeon stood in front of them, beaming at her.

"Poreon," the Pokemon said.

"A Vaporeon?" said Misty. "I don't understand."

"It's all yours," said Ash. "Merry Christmas."

"What?"

"Do you remember our last night in the Sevii Islands when I was late for the festival, and you yelled at me for it?"

"Ash, that happened two months ago. Of course I remember."

"Well what I was doing was trying to find a water Pokemon to catch for you for Christmas. I had almost given up when I found Vaporeon injured on some rocks. I captured it and spent the past couple of months nursing it back to health. I told it all about you, so it knows that it's yours. The reason I was late was I ran into Team Rocket, and they tried to take Vaporeon and Pikachu. You know how that gets."

"And you couldn't tell me because you didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"Yeah, that's right."

Misty called back Vaporeon with the pokeball. It disappeared in a ray of light, returning to its ball. She stared at it for a good minute, tears forming in her eyes again. For a moment, Ash thought that he had done something wrong. That thought changed when she flung her arms around him.

"Thank you!" she cried. "I love it. You're the best!"

"Uh, you're welcome," he said sheepishly, blushing slightly. "Should we go inside and join everyone else?"

The two went to go inside, Pikachu at their heels. Ash paused for a moment in the threshold, searching for any of their friends. Before he could point them out, Misty peered above them, observing a little sprig hanging innocently. She recognized it immediately.

"Hey Ash, did you notice that we are standing under mistletoe?"

"Huh?" he said, also looking up at the devilish plant. "I'm going to get some Christmas cookies!"

"But you just got some Christmas cookies!"

"I know," he said, rushing away from the scene. He decided that tonight wasn't the night to tell her. Maybe one day he would. "I want some more! C'mon, Pikachu!"

"What's his problem, Pikachu?"

"Pika pika!" he replied before dashing off to meet his trainer.

Misty followed them over, feeling a bit disappointed. She thought that he might have kissed her with that sort of encouragement. However, the amount of people could have scared him off at the same time. There was the nagging feeling that he might not have wanted to kiss her at all, but she pushed it to the back of the mind. She wouldn't let it ruin her holiday. She spent the rest of the night with Ash and the rest of her friends, a new warmth taking hold in her heart.